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'Throw-in?': Bucks' Kyle Kuzma has livid trade value case on being rumored part of Giannis deal

Nairavoice · Jun 22, 2026 · 2 min read

‘Throw-in?’: Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma has livid trade value case on being rumored part of Giannis deal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Milwaukee Bucks are finally letting of Giannis Antetokounmpo after what seemingly was a long era of trade rumors. Only two teams remain in contention for the move: the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. While a lot of names have been thrown in like Jaylen Brown and Tyler Herro, there is yet to be confirmation if the Jon Horst will include another player to make the trade more balanced. However, there is one former NBA champion who seems to be signifying that he will be part of the trade — Kyle Kuzma. Although, he did make his perceived trade value very clear after some speculations started running amok.

Bucks’ Kuzma makes blunt statement about being Antetokounmpo trade throw-in

Hours after it was made public that the Celtics and Heat are the final contenders to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma made a very cryptic post to announce that a ‘major announcement’ about his career was about to come. This made rounds in multiple social media sites. The speculation was that the former NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, who now plays for the Bucks, is set to become a trade piece for the blockbuster trade.

Along with these rumors about being part of the Antetokounmpo trade, there were also talks about his perceived trade value. A report from Bill Simmons started to surface and it was all about Kuzma being the ‘Giannis tax’ in the transaction which rubbed the one-time champion in a wrong type of way.

“Since when is a 6’9 wing who plays any role you ask, guards 1–5, shot almost 50% from the field and cares about defense a ‘throw‑in’? lol,” Kuzma wrote.

Since when is a 6’9 wing who plays any role you ask, guards 1–5, shot almost 50% from the field and cares about defense a ‘throw‑in’? lol https://t.co/11Jd5D54Vu

— kuz (@kylekuzma) June 22, 2026

The Bucks have had Kuzma for two seasons now but his production has not been the best. Between his stints with the Lakers, Bucks, and Washington Wizards, his numbers in the past seasons have been at an all-time low. From being a scorer with a 15-point average with the Lakers and 19.5-point average with the Wizards, his scoring numbers with the Bucks went down to 13.5 points per night but his field goal percentage reached a peak of 54.1%. So, it is definitely not true that Kuzma is just a throw-in. He is his own player and will give either the Celtics or Heat a huge competitive advantage in the coming seasons.